Shipping container



Sept. 21, 1965 T. R. sT. JOHN 3,208,079

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Aug. 1, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORN EYS Sept. 21, 1965 T. R. sT. JOHN SHIPPING CONTAINER 5 Sheets-Shee??l 2 Filed Aug. l, 1965 .N H T0 NJ ET. V m R S A M 0 H T ATTORNEYS Sept. 21, 1965 T, R. sT. JOHN 3,208,079

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Aug. l, 1963 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Y THOMAS R. ST. JOHN ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,268,079 SHIPPING CONTAINER Thomas It. St. John, Troy, Ghia Filed Aug. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 299,430 Claims. (Cl. 229-27) This invention relates to shipping cartons and containers, and particularly to a container in which fresh and processed meats and the like can be packed, shipped, stored, or otherwise handled.

In recent years the distances between meat packing houses and the customers have widened so that the meats are subjected to long trips in enclosed refrigerated vehicles. The meats are presently packed into conventional corrugated cardboard boxes at the packing house, and these boxes are used for handling the meat until it reaches the retail distributor. The boxes are generally incapable of supporting any substantial load so that when the boxes are stacked or handled roughly, failure occurs thus causing undesirable bruising and shrinkage of the meat. Moreover, the failure of the boxes necessarily limits the extent to which they can be stacked without the stack itself collapsing. The boxes further do not provide proper ventilation of the meats as required to retain the meats in a fresh state, and they are also unwieldy in size and difiicult to handle.

Accordingly, an important object of this invention is to provide a container having increased strength and lighter weight, and particularly to provide a container of the aforesaid type which is constructed from a rectangular Cardboard blank and is stacked in a at ready set-up condition which does not require more than a very minimum of time and effort.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved container particularly adapted to packaging meats wherein the meat is adequately ventilated through all sides without sacrificing the strength of the carton, and particularly to provide such a container which can be stacked on pallets for mechanical material handling devices without failure one upon the other to the height required for conventional transportion vehicles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lightweight and inexpensive box for packaging meats and the like which minimizes the bruising and shrinkage of the meat during shipment and handling, and more particularly to provide a box which can be easily set up and which does not require the use of metal staples thus obviating possible injury to the box and its contents or to the personnel packing or unpacking the carton, as well as decreasing the time required to open and close the box.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container in accordance with the invention;

FIG` 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cardboard blank used to form the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view showing the initial steps in assembling the carton;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 illustrating subsequent steps in the formation of the carton;

FIG. 6 is still another perspective view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 but showing subsequent steps in the setting up of the container;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carton in its cornpletely set up position; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective View of one corner of the container.

M'ce

Referring to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, FIG. 1 shows the carton or container 10 having four elongated pork loins 11 or the like therein and held against any substantial relative movement thus obviating bruising and shrinkage thereof. Two of these loins are packed in each of the compartments 12 and 13 of the container since they are particularly adapted to be packed in pairs, as seen in FIG. 2. While the invention is described in connection with one of its preferred uses, to wit, the packing of loins, it should be understood that the panels thereof can be varied in size so that the dimensions of the compartments 12 and 13 can be adapted to accommodate other types of meat, such as hams, bacon, and the like, as well as any other articles.

As seen in FIG. 3, the container 10 is formed from a cardboard blank which includes a rectangular bottom panel 15 having an outer end wall 17 integrally connected at each end thereof, and the fold lines 18 are formed therebetween to facilitate set-up of the carton. On each of the lateral side edges of the bottom panel 15, a side wall 20 is formed integrally, and the fold lines 21 permit these side walls to easily pivot with respect to the bottom panel 15. In a similar manner, the side wall flaps 23 are integrally formed at each end of the side walls 20 for pivotal movement about the fold lines 24 which also facilitates set-up of the carton 10.

The top panels 25 are similarly formed integrally along the fold lines 27 on the opposite edges of the side Walls 20, and each of these top panels 25 is substantially onehalf the size of the bottom panel 15 so that together they cover the top of the container 10, as will be explained. On the opposite edges of each of the top walls 25 are the central partitions 30 which pivot with respect to the adjacent top wall 25 along the fold lines 31, and the width of these central partitions is essentially equal to the width of side walls 25 so that they add vertical strength to the carton when set up. At each end of each of the top walls 25 there is formed an inner end wall panel 33 which pivots with respect to the adjacent top Wall 25 along the fold lines 3S, and each of these end panels 33 has a partition connector tab 36 secured along one edge thereof for pivotal movement with respect thereto along the fold lines 38. As seen in FIG. 2, the blank used to form the container 10 is rectangular in outer configuration so that waste is eliminated in the production of the carton from a continuous sheet of corrugated cardboard or the like.

As indicated above, it is necessary to have proper ventilation in a carton for shipping meats, and since these containers 10 are usually stacked the openings must be in every side of the container to insure minimum air circulation therethrough. Thus a plurality of elongated slots 40, 41, and 42 are out into the carton blank for the purpose of defining openings in six of the eight corners of each of the compartments 12 and 13. Specifically, the slots are cut between the end walls 17 and the side wall flaps 23, and a portion 44 thereof extends beyond the fold lines 18 and 24 and into the bottom panel 15 and side wall 20.

The similar slot 41 is cut between each of the side wall flaps 23 and the adjacent inner end wall 33 with a portion 45 thereof extending beyond the fold lines 24 and 35 and into the side and top walls 20 and 25. The connector flaps 36 and the central partition 30 are also separated by the elongated slot 42 which has a portion 46/ extending beyond the fold lines 31 and 38 and into the top and inner end Walls 25 and 33. The carrying openings 48 and 49 are defined in opposite ends of the side walls 20 to facilitate handling, as well as ventilators, aS seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

As shown in FIGS. 4 through 7, the carton 10 is set up by bending the central partitions 30 along the fold line 31 to a position wherein the partitions are perpendicular to the top panels 25. vThe inner end wall panels 33 are similarly bent along their fold lines 35 to a position perpendicular with the top panel 25, and the tabs 36 are then turned inwardly along the fold line 38 so that they are positioned adjacent the inner surface of the central partitions 30. A suitable adhesive or its equivalent is then utilized to secure the tabs 36 to the central partitions 30, as shown in FIG. 4. The cartons are preferably supplied to the meat packing houses in this condition, with the central partitions 30 being flattened against the top panels 25, as illustrated by the lower portion of FIG. 4. The diagonal fold lines 50 are provided in the inner end walls 33 to facilitate this folding, and the cartons in this condition can readily be stacked and do not require gluing or stapling in order to pack meat therein.

When it is desired to utilize the carton 10, it is removed from the stack and the central partitions 30 are again bent upwardly perpendicular to the adjacent top panel 25, as seen in the lower portion of FIG. 5. The flaps 23 are also bent along their fold lines 24 and tucked inside the inner end walls 33 as the top panels 25 are pivoted with respect to the fold lines 27 to the position shown in the upper portion of FIG. 5.

The meat to be packed in the container 10 is then placed on the bottom panel and a first of the top panels 25 is rotated about the fold line 21 thereonto, to the position shown in FIG. 6, wherein the meat or the like is completely enclosed by the central partition 33, the top and bottom panels 25 and 15, and the side wall 20. The same operation is then performed to the other half side of the container 10, and whenboth of the top panels are in position, the end walls 17 are folded upwardly about the fold line 18, as seen in FIG. 7, and hence the entire package is secured together by placing the tape strips 51 across both top panels 25, and between the end walls 17 and the top panels 25 (FIG. 1).

The portions 44, 45, .and 46 of the slots 40, 41, and 42 create vent openings 52, 53, and 54, respectively, as seen in FIG. 7., for insuring proper ventilation of the contents of the carton 10 even when numerous cartons are stacked vertically. The strategic location of these openings does not detract materially from the strength of the carton 10 as do vent openings which are placed at random in the various walls of a carton. Each of the openings 52 and 53 allows the flow of air into the carton from three directions, whereas the openings 54 communicate with the top and on ends of the carton, and thus there is in effect four openings in the bottom wall 15, five in each side wall 20, four in each of the top walls 25, and four in each end of the carton for an effective total lof fifteen openings in each of the compartments 12 and 13.

As shown in FIG. 8, each of the four corner areas of the carton 10 lconsists of three thicknesses of cardboard as formed by the outer end walls 17, the aps 23, and the inner end walls 33. This arrangement adds materially to the vertical strength of the carton and thus permits the carton to be stacked without damage to itself or its contents as a result of numerous cartons stacked thereon. The center Iof the carton 10 is likewise reinforced by the adjacent partitions 30, and at each end of these partitions by the outer and inner end walls 17 and 30, and the flaps 36. T he various vent openings 52, 53, and 54 are placed in these areas of reinforcement and thus do not detract from the strength of the carton.

The container is preferably set up by use of a manual Vor automatic jig which holds the carton blank in place Whlle the meat is placed thereon. The automatic jig vwould then, in responseto push button control, fold the top wallsrinto place so that the operator need only place th tape strips thereon. The manual jig would similarly hol \the container in place, although the various folding operatipns would be performed manually.

\Wherr\the carton 10 is preferably constructed from cor- Iugated cardboard, it lis within the scope of the invention i to utilize other paper products, as well as plastic materials or other equivalents. When paper products are used in yconstructing cartons for shipping means, the inside of the carton is preferably coated with a wax material or other protective coating to prevent the liquids from the meats from being absorbed by the carton.

The outside surfaces of the container are preferably coated with a moisture protective coating sold under the trade name Humigard by the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation which prohibits moisture from weakening the corrugated cardboard container.

The invention has thus provided a container having two separate compartments which are well ventilated and particularly adapted for packing fresh and processed meats. The container is reinforced at each of its corners and in the central portion thereby enabling the filled cartons to be stacked for storage and shipment. There is a minimum of waste in forming the blank for the carton, and little time and effort is required for set-up since the carton blanks can 'be supplied in a flattened condition.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without department from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A container of the character described adapted for shipping fresh meat comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, an outer end wall at each end of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a side wall on the other edges of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a top wall on each of said side walls on an edge opposite said bottom panel extending above and parallel to said bottom panel, a central partition panel on the edge of each said top walls opposite the edge to which said side wall is connected, said partition panels having a width equal to said side walls and extending downwardly in juxtaposition relation to contact said bottom panel for dividing the container into two separate compartments and for reinforcing the center of the container, inner end walls at each end of each said top walls, ends flaps at each end of each of said side walls cooperating with said inner and outer end walls to close the ends of said container and to provide a triple layer end wall in the container for adding strength thereto to resist deformation and thereby protect the meat against shrinkage, said outer end walls and end flaps defining slots of predetermined width defined therebetween extending into said bottom panel and said side wall, said end flaps and said inner end walls defining slots of predetermined width therebetween extending into said side and top walls, and connector aps on each of said inner end walls for connecting said inner end walls and said central partition together, said connector flaps and said central partition defining a slot therebetween extending into said inner end walls and said top walls, said slots adapted to define ventilation openings in six of the corners of each said compartment.

2. A container of the character described adapted for shipping fresh meat or the like comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, an outer end wall at each end of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a side wall on the other edges of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a top wall on each of said side walls on an edge opposite said bottom panel extending above and parallel to said bottom panel, a central partition panel on the edge of each said top walls opposite the edge to which said side wall is connected, said partition panels having a width equal to said end walls and extending downwardly in juxtaposition relation to contact said bottom panel for dividing the container into two separate compartments and for reinforcing the center of the container, inner end walls at each end of each said top walls, end flaps at each end of each of said side walls cooperating with said outer end walls to close the ends of' said container, said inner end walls and end tlaps each having a width substantially equal to said side walls so that said inner and outer end walls cooperate with said end flaps to provide a triple layer end wall in the container for adding strength thereto to resist deformation and thereby protect the meat against shrinkage, and means defining slots of predetermined Width in the container to define ventilation openings in six ofthe corners of each said compartment of the container.

3. A container of the character described adapted for shipping fresh meat or the like comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, an outer end wall at each end of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a side wall on the other edges of said bottom panel extending perpendicularly therefrom, a top wall on each of said side walls on an edge opposite said bottom panel extending above and parallel to said bottom panel, a central partition panel on the edge of each said top walls opposite the edge to which said side wall is connected, said partition panels having a width equal to said end walls and extending downwardly in juxtaposition relation to contact said bottom panel for dividing the container into two separate compartments and for reinforcing the center of the container, inner end walls at each end of each said top walls, end aps at each end of each of said side walls cooperating with said outer end walls to close the ends of said container, said inner end walls and end aps each having a width substantially equal to said side walls so that said inner and outer end walls cooperate with said end iiaps to provide a triple layer end wall in the container for adding strength thereto to resist deformation and thereby protect the meat against shrinkage, and connector flaps on said inner end walls, means securing said connector flaps to the adjacent said central partition panel so that they move together, and fold lines on each of said inner end walls to provide for folding of said inner end walls to permit the container to be collapsed into a at position for storage.

4. A container blank of the character described comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, an outer end wall on each of two opposite edges of said bottom panel adapted to extend perpendicularly with respect thereto, a side wall on each of the other two edges of said bottom panel also adapted to extend perpendicularly with respect thereto, a top wall on the edge of each of said side walls opposite said bottom panel, said top walls having substantially one-half of the width of said bottom panel and adapted to extend above the parallel to said bottom panel in covering relationship therewith, a central partition panel on the edges of each said top wall opposite said side walls and having a width substantially equal to said side Walls and adapted to extend downwardly with respect to said top walls in juxtaposition relation to each other to abut said bottom panel for dividing the container into two compartments and strengthening the center thereof, a side wall ap on each of said side walls for engagement with said outer end walls, an inner end wall on each end of each said top wall adapted to extend downwardly inside the adjacent said end wall, said flap and said inner and outer end walls each having a width substantially equal to said side walls and adapted to close and strengthen the ends of the container, and a connector ap on each of said inner end walls parallel to the adjacent said central partition panel for use in securing said inner end walls and said central partition panels together so that movement of one to a position perpendicular to the adjacent top wall effects similar movement of the other.

5. A rectangular container blank of the character described comprising, a rectangular bottom panel, an outer end wall on each of two opposite edges of said bottom panel adapted to extend perpendicularly with respect thereto, a side wall on each of the other two edges of said bottorn panel also adapted to extend perpendicularly viu'th respect thereto, a top wall on the edge of each of said side walls opposite said bottom panel, said top walls having substantially one-half the width of said bottom panel and adapted to extend above and parallel to said bottom panel in covering relationship therewith, a central partition panel on the edges of each said top wall opposite said side walls and having a width substantially equal to said side walls and adapted to extend downwardly with respect to said top walls in juxtaposition relation to each other to abut said bottom panel for dividing the container into two compartments and strengthening the center thereof, a side wall ap on each of said side walls for engagement with said outer end walls, an inner end wall on each end of each said top wall adapted to extend downwardly inside the adjacent said end wall, said liap and said inner and outer end walls each having a width substantially equal to said side walls and adapted to close and strengthen the ends of the container, a connector Hap on each of said inner end walls parallel to the adjacent said central partition panel for'use in securing said inner end walls and said central partition panel together so that movement of one to a position perpendicular to the adjacent top Walls effects similar movement of the other, and fold lines on each of said inner end walls for permitting said central panels to lie adjacent said top walls when said connector aps are secured to said central panels so that the container blanks can be stacked.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,151,821 8/15 Raynaud 229-27 2,141,399 12/38 Luhn 229-27 2,279,670 4/ 42 Ford et al. 229--16 2,678,724 5/54 Andriot. 2,749,015 6/5 6 Pennebaker 229-33 FOREIGN PATENTS 739,899 11/ 55 Great Britain.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED ADAPTED FOR SHIPPING FRESH MEAT COMPRISING, A RECTANGULAR BOTTOM PANEL, AN OUTER END WALL AT EACH END OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY THEREFROM, A SIDE WALL ON THE OTHER EDGES OF SAID BIOTTOM PANEL EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY THEREFROM, A TOP WALL ON EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS ON AN EDGE OPPOSITE SAID BOTTOM PANEL EXTENDINGABOVE AND PARALLEL TO SAID BOTTOM PANEL, A CENTRAL PARTITION PANEL ON THE EDGE OF EACH SAID TOP WALLS OPPOSITE THE EDGE TO WHICH SAID SIDE WALL IS CONNECTED, SAID PARTITION PANELS HAVING A WIDTH EQUAL TO SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY IN JUXTAPOSITION RELATION TO CONTACT SAID BOTTOM PANEL FOR DIVIDING THE CONTAINER INTO TWO SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS AND FOR REINFORCING THE CENTER OF THE CONTAINER, INNER END WALLS AT EACH END OF EACH SAID TOP WALLS, ENDS FLAP AT EACH END OF EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS COOPERATING WITH SAID INNER AND OUTER END WALLS TO CLOSE THE ENDS OF SAIDD CONNTAINER AND TO PROVIDE A TRIPLE LAYER END WALL IN THE CONTAINER FOR ADDING STRENGTH THERETO RESIST DEFORMATION AND THEREBY PROTECT THE MEAT AGAINST SHRINKAGE, SAID OUTER EEND WALL AND END FLAPS DEFINING SLOTS OF PREDETERMINED WIDTH DEFINED THEREBETWEEN EXTENDING INTO SAID BOTTOM PANEL AND SAID SIDE WALL, SAID END FLAPS AND SAID INNER END WALLS DEFINING SLOTS OF PREDETERMINED WIDTH THEREBETWEEN EXTENDING INTO SAID SIDE AND TOP WALLS, AND CONNECTOR FLAPS ON EACH OF SAID INNER END WALLS FOR CONNECTING SAID INNNER END WALLS AND SAID CENTRAL PARTITION TOGETHER, SAID CONNECTOR FLAPS AND SAID CENTRAL PARTITION DEFINING A SLOT THEREBETWEEN EXTENDING INTO SAID INNER END WALLS AND SAID TOP WALLS, SAID SLOTS ADAPTED TO DEFINE VENTILATION OPENING IN SIX OF THE CORNERS OF EACH SAID COMPARTMENTS. 